Large group ritual

[Jennie]

Several recent experiences with large public group rituals have made me take note again of how much different it is to direct, hold, and modulate the energy of 100 other people, many of whom are strangers, than it is to do the same for the energy of 5 or 10 close friends.

It is, in my opinion, unfortunate that not everyone who volunteers to lead a large ritual is aware of this before they begin.

In my experience, when working with large groups or with relative strangers, it is much harder to compensate for a lack of preparation or for inattention to ritual design.

Here are a few of my thoughts on techniques to help make large group rituals more effective. I think most of them apply at least to some degree to small group work as well. If you think these are overly basic, you haven't been to some of the rituals I have...I would be interested in comments, feedback, and additional ideas from anyone else who has experience leading (or participating in) rituals that are large, public or both.

Maybe we can get a good enough discussion going that this thread will make it to the bone yard!


Things to remember when designing and leading ritual (especially for large groups):

1) A ritual has a time and a place separate from mundane reality. It should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be no doubt about where the boundaries of the ritual space are. There should be no doubt about when the ritual has started, when it has ended, and when it is going on. If someone walking up late can't tell whether the ritual is already in progress, this is a big problem. If someone who was there when it started can't tell whether it is already in progress, this is a much bigger problem.

2)A ritual should have a purpose that is both clear and acceptable to everyone participating.

3)The elements of the ritual (words, actions, "props", music, etc.) should help the participants fully enter into and focus on the purpose of the ritual. Ideally, no one should leave the ritual wondering "What the !@#@#$ was that (song...poem... paper mache' pig) about?"

4) Ritual is not as interesting to watch as it is to do. For the bulk of the participants to maintain a level of energy and focus, they either have to have something to do or they have to have something *really spectacular* to watch. If, as often is the case, the leaders need to say or do something that it is not practical to have the entire circle say or do, it is important not to have people just standing around letting their energy and attention wander and dissipate. One simple technique to keep participants' energy focused and high is "call and response", where the leaders or main celebrants say a portion of a ritual phrase and the rest of the participants complete the phrase or respond with an affirming refrain. Another is to have participants sing a simple chant or song that relates directly to the ritual action that the main celebrants are performing.

5) Once the process of raising energy has begun, it should not be interrupted for explanations, instructions, comedy,or, really, any other reason short of medical emergencies, until it has been discharged and directed toward the purpose of the ritual. Explanations and instructions can and should be integrated into the ritual in such a way that they do not interrupt or distract from its smooth progress.

6) Devote at least as much attention and energy to closing the circle and releasing any guardians, elementals, watchtowers or other entities and energies called as you devoted to opening the circle and calling them in the first place.

Bright blessings,
Jennie

[Blayze]

Ahh Jennie,

This is my favourite topic and one that I tend to wax lyrical on at the drop of a hat. *dropping hat now*

Many people (though of course not all) who turn to paganism initially seek it out as an alternative to what they see as highly structured, ritualistic and dogmatic mainstream religions. I have met quite a few, who because of this, get very upset at the idea that a pagan group ritual, however generic the path, could or should have a structure, organisation and a POINT!  

As you rightly pointed out, there is a big difference between a personal or solitary ritual, a small group ritual and a large or public group ritual. What works in the former situations will not necessarily work for the latter.

Time and time again I have encountered people who could not see the difference and have put on a group ritual without taking into consideration that you have to adapt the ritual to the situation & purpose, participants - in both experience and number, location, cues, staging, props and CONFIDENCE. I have seen and participated in group rituals that did just happen "off the cuff" and they were fantastic, but rare and were in the moment. Generally, however, a good group ritual needs planning and an understanding of group dynamics, performance and staging, and of course, knowledge and experience in the path that that ritual is for.

With a large group you need to provide participation at some points in the ritual, let  participants know the purpose of the ritual, give them aural and visual cues, get them involved, make it an EXPERIENCE. Even though our small group may not use any props or tools for some of our own stuff, in large group we ritual we always do. This includes costumes as well as ritual tools, props and decoration. This gives participants cues and a device to see what is going on. We do a full ritual prep as much as possible and build any vocal instructions that need to be given during the ritual, into the ritual itself so that it is self explanatory without interrupting the flow.

If our group is putting on a ritual for a large amount of people we try to be organised, well prepared with everyone in our group knowing what is going on, having learnt lines and getting there early. We try to lead by example and if we appear to know what we are doing and are confident and safe in execution then participants will actually be willing to join in and give their energies to the ritual experience. We build periods of participation into the ritual as well as periods of inspired utterance if needed. If we are doing a very complicated or high energy ritual that has lots of factors involved, then we rehearse it until we have worked out the bugs, we run it as a small group ritual first (e.g. Full Moons) so that when we have a large group to deal with we can all handle those energies well and everyone relaxes into the ritual.

As ritual organisers we need to make the ritual run as seamlessly as possible, to have it flow and have intent and be flexible, and while the aim is not to have it appear totally effortless, (because then participants will get lazy) we would like it at least to be smooth.

My background is in television production so I tend to be very intense about  continuity and internal logic within a ritual, but I find that the logistical brain frying that I go through when writing a ritual is definitely worth it in the end. I make lists of everything But if we know and understand the ritual well then we can be flexible when it comes to running it and go with the flow of the actual participants.

I got so fed up with really badly run public rituals that fell apart and had no energy that when our group was asked to take over for a time at a regular monthly event we put in a lot of effort to try and show the participants that it could be done well. We also started running free workshops before the events to teach people how to use chants, how to cast a circle, how to run and write a ritual so the people who did actually regularly attend would hopefully get some teaching and some inspiration to run a ritual themselves. So hopefully we have set a standard that others will top - which would be fantastic.

Most people attend a public group ritual with a fair degree of selfishness and caution - which is fine, but this attitude has to be factored in. A large group ritual is experiential but for the people running it, it is also a performance with energy. If you give them a show that they can see as well as feel then they will join in, drop the majority of their barriers, have fun and get into the mystery of the whole thing.

Thanks for starting the thread.

Bright blessings
Blayze

[Rowan CedarWolf]

I have been to and taken part in several large group rituals and this is the one big ting that really used to agitate me the most. When attending or participating in a ritual regardless of size please remember there is no such thing as "pagan standard time" If a ritual is supposed to start at 7:00pm be there at the set time!

[Gryphon]

One thing that REALLY Really gets me going is no ending.
 
You would not BELIEVE how many group rituals I have been to where the circle is never opened...
 
It's one of the main reasons I rarely attend "public" ritual anymore.
 
Another is the "clown" Pagans that just show up to try and be the center of attention. One thing a ritual organizer absolutely must have in place is what they will do in the event of a trouble maker. Sometimes trouble can come from outside of the circle, but in my experience the trouble maker has usually been "one of the Pagans". Nothing disintegrates a ritual faster than a sense of fear or distrust in the participants.
 
Other than that, I'd say 80% of large group rituals I have attended have bored me to tears. And, sad to say, the boring rituals are all more recent than the interesting ones. I have observed a loss of what I call the joy of worship from modern day ritual. The last decade seems to me to have brought forth a blah-ness in group ritual. We used to dance and sing when I was new to the Path. Nothing is more energizing then 60 or 70 people all lifting up their voice in songs of praise to the Goddess. And the dancing! It was unthinkable to STAND in the same spot for the entire circle.  
 
(Granted, one Samhain ritual I attended that had over 400 people in attendance, movement was NOT an option. We were packed in like sardines! Not my idea of good times.   )
 
I think I made enough of a garbled contribution here. Time for sleep!

[Blayze]

Hi Gryphon,

Yep blahness is certainly common in public ritual and the ritual certainly ain't over till the circle is opened or me (being the fat lady) sings it open

We incorporate singing into our public rituals wherever we can. I write lots of pagan songs and quite a few of our circle have good voices (we even had a pagan choir for a short time). I write simple songs and chants for the sabbats and public full moon rituals that are either easily picked up or we teach people in a workshop before the ritual.

At least the majority of the public full moon rituals here include a spiral dance and a group howl (starting with low intoning and then building up to a howl at the moon) and that does get people involved.

At a public Beltane ritual that our group ran last year, we used the chorus of a popular Aussie Beltane song for the dancing of the maypole as we couldn't have recorded music. We did have drummers though. We actually couldn't stop the participants chanting... they kept at it for ages as the pole was danced again and again. Lots of fun and good energy.

I wrote a chant for a public blue moon ritual that was used as people spiralled up a hill to the ritual site and when we opened the circle to take a bowl of charged water down to the lake for a libation, on the way back up the hill the participants started singing it again totally impromptu. Yay!

We use lots of music for our own group rituals and I hope to start playing my harp in them soon... if I can actually get my fingers around more than the two pieces I can sort of play

We use dancing alot as well - besides spiral dances we use vine dances at the beginning of the ritual... get people warmed up and actually looking at each other. We also do lots of cord / wheel dances, choosing participants to dance the wheel whilst everyone claps and drums and chants the Witches Rune. We also try to get people to make items in the circle as well... break them into smaller groups - usually under an elementally themed co-ordinator and then bring the small groups back to present either their smaller ritual or objects to the larger group. We have found that this works really well for very large groups and everyone gets to participate.

Recently we have started using storytelling in the rituals, not really long stories but ones told with energy behind them and that demonstrate or unlock a mystery of the sabbat or ritual.

Bright blessings
Blayze

http://www.applegroveonline.com

[Brock]

It's important to remember that ritual is a form of theater.  Heck, theater itself had its very origin in public religious ritual.  And the same sort of rules that apply to creating a successful theatrical experience apply as well to staging public ritual.

1.  Ritual must be ABOUT something:  a ritual must have some purpose, else why bother with all the work and effort.

2.  Rituals should be designed to draw the participants in to what is going on.  People coming out of the ritual space at the end of the ritual should NOT feel that they were just passive participants, along for the ride but not actually doing anything.

3.  Ritual is NOT the place to explain either theology or praxis:  if explanations of any part of the ritual are going to be necessary, make all of the explanations BEFORE starting the ritual.  Stopping in the middle of the ritual to insert a description of what is going to happen next and why it is significant may be a useful way to teach people about your religion, but it is LOUSY theater and pretty much screws up the flow of the ritual and makes the ritual much less effective.  (If you simply MUST do it this way, have the common courtesy to tell people that this is to be a DEMONSTRATION of your religion's ritual forms, and do not call it an actual ritual.)

Alternatively, explanations can be incorporated into the ritual text:

"And now, we distribute the Sacred Blessings of the Elder Ghods to the populace here assembled.  Our Squid-Maidens will pass among you, sprinkling each personwith a few grains of the sanctified sea-salt, and asperging them with the sacred infusion of Yuggoth.  Thus will each of us be made ready for closer contact with the Ghods."

4.  if you are leading the ritual, or have a role of some sort in the ritual, speak so that you can be clearly understood by everyone present.   In other words, learn to project your voice.  (Who knew that having been a leather-lunged drill sergeant would have helped prepare me for leading pagan rituals?)

5.  Do things where people can see them.  If I NEVER AGAIN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE have to stand in a ritual while the HPS and HP do something on the altar which I cannot see because their bodies are blocking my view, while they mutter inaudibly to each other, it will be entirely too soon.

6.  The more complicated the text for the ritual, the more necessary practice and rehearsals beforehand become.  The ritual leaders should be able to lead the ritual from memory.  Reading the ritual verbatim from Ye Sacred Three-Ring-Binder of Ye Arte ruins the ritual.   Most especially it does so if

a. the ritual is read in a monotone, without emphasis or inflection;

b. there are periodic interruptions where the participants are required to FLIP the page protector to see the next page of the text;

c. the officiant is having problems reading the 8-point typeface the text is printed in because it's bloody DARK outside at the time the ritual is scheduled and the officiant is trying to read by candle/fire light, and the stupid git who printed the ritual in 8-point in order to save paper didn't think about this beforehand; or,

d.  there are fourteen people with speaking roles in the ritual and only one copy of the script.

7.  Which brings me to another point:  There should only be as many people involved in leading the ritual as are NECESSARY to actually do the ritual.  Making parts for someone to avoid hurt feelings, or because they are a leader in the community and "just CANNOT be excluded," is complicating a situation already fraught with too many possible complications, and is just asking for trouble.

[Rowan CedarWolf]

I totally agree with  you on those points. Although I do feel that there are times when using a "script" is warranted. Such as when reading a story that is significant to the ritual, But I do agree that it should by typed clearly and easy to read.

[Blayze]

I don't feel that good storytelling requires a script.  You need to be able to look at your "audience" as you speak and pass on the intent of the story.

If a story is so long as to require a script then it is probably too long to be in the ritual.

I find that with storytelling it is better to memorise the outline of the story, then visualise the story occuring and describe that.

I will use a script if the ritual has an extremely complicated pathworking where nothing can be left out or changed, but only as a guide - and besides everyone has their eyes closed. I keep paper rustling to a minimum.

Bright blessings
Blayze

[Shadow]

Here's one that seems to have been over looked also.

Make darn sure the person you are asking, begging, coercing, into leading the ritual is someone who; a. wants to lead a large group ritual, and, b. is good at it.

I can raise energy easily, and am quite good at doing impromptu ritual in small groups.  However, I have neither the desire, nor the organizational aptitude to run a large group ritual.  This lack of willingness, and ability has not, however, saved me from being "recruited" to lead large groups in the past.

Basically, if someone tries to politely decline the offer to run your large group ritual, let it drop and find someone else who is more suited to it.

[Brock]

When a number of us were at Pagan Unity Festival last month, one of my long-time acquaintances made a comment that the last time she had had a geally GOOD ritual experience at PUF was when the group that Lark and I now lead was responsible for making a ritual happen.  That was in 2001.  

Since that time the main rituals have been organized and led by one or more of the well-known Pagans who are the keynote guests at PUF.  And they've been, in my opinion, unsatisfactory as ritual experiences, mostly because the ritual itself gets broken up into discrete bits by explanations of why things are bring done in a certain way, and what it is all is supposed to mean.   Which is okay, I suppose, if you are interested in how other groups structure their observances.  But it's not real helpful if what you are expecting is to be caught up in a ritual that sort of unites the whole gathering in a shared emotional and spiritual experience.

I suspect that part of the reason for this was that a couple of years ago a local pagan group had volunteered to lead the main ritual at PUF, then backed out at the last minute after their leader had a personal squabble with one of the organizers of PUF, leaving the organizers without a keynote ritual for the festival.  One of the well-known guests agreed on short notice to step in and stage a ritual, and the situation was salvaged, but the organizers for PUF may now be in the "once burned, twice shy" category and unwilling to risk another such situation in the future.

Lark and I have agreed to lead the keynote ritual for Pagan Pride Day in Nashville this year.  I suuppose I really ought to try getting in touch with the organizers to see if they have an idea as to the venue so we can start figuring out what sort of constraints we're going to be under.

[Rowan CedarWolf]

Well considering my group includes children we kind of rely on scripts  as the children are not able to memorize a lot and it helps them to be able to follow along as the ritual progresses

[Rowan CedarWolf]

A suggestion about the whole explaination of why and how things are done is to hold a "workshop"  for lack of a better word prior to the ritual so everyone knows what to expect a head of time and that way it will not interupt the flow of the ritual. That is what we do when we hold a large ritual with folks who have not attended a ritual with my group before.

[Anonymous]

You make it sound like church. I think you just affirmed my suspicion that a group ritual can't be anything for me (especially since I already don't like crowds, let alone in my religious practice)